When the player has entered the Blackened Forest in the subclass missions, they will channel the Light of the Shard and gain access to their new subclass. Various enemies from the House of Dusk will then continually spawn, giving the player an opportunity to try out the abilities against weaker troops and bosses.

When speaking to Tyra Karn in The Farm after the completion of the story mission Homecoming, she states that the Shard ended up in the EDZ during the Collapse. Why it did it is currently unknown, but it might be because it recieved a touch by the Darkness. This can also be the reason to why the Forest around it is corrupted.